Mail of the week

The Goal Rush ("Football Fever", June 14)
Sharda Ugra's coverage of the football World Cup was elaborate ("Football Fever", June 14). It holds a soccer fan's interest as she goes on to give details of the teams' jerseys, boots, the dazzling trophy and their unsung heroes,

The Goal Rush ("Football Fever", June 14)

Sharda Ugra's coverage of the football World Cup was elaborate ("Football Fever", June 14). It holds a soccer fan's interest as she goes on to give details of the teams' jerseys, boots, the dazzling trophy and their unsung heroes, including South Africa that is participating after a gap of four decades. The cover story is first of its kind in print media during my long stint as a soccer fan. In spite of witnessing thrilling moments during the matches, many fans will actually fall back on your soccer coverage and examine the various possibilities that you have talked about.-- Prof Ramesh Sinha, Delhi

World Cup 2010 fever has caught the world. And "the Cup that cheers the world" has put South Africa on the spotlight and the continent as a whole shines. But what about India that holds the 133rd rank in FIFA? Will it enthuse and inspire the youth in a manner so that we can even aspire to qualify for the World Cup any time? We have to create the right atmosphere and encourage the sport among our youngsters.-- A. JAcob Sahayam, Thiruvananthapuram

All for Didigiri ("The Didi Wave", June 14)

It is evident that a maverick Mamata Banerjee has eminently succeeded in pricking the Marxist bubble of invincibility in its own backyard with the overwhelming performance of her party ("The Didi Wave", June 14). The victory, however, should also be seen as an anti-incumbency vote rather than an endorsement of Banerjee or her party. The Marxists have been pickled in their own sauce and the complacency that had set in a party which has had an uninterrupted run of power for over three decades has cost it dear. The wavering leadership of Karat & Co, the empty rhetoric of Sitaram Yechury, and Jyoti Basu's demise have contributed to the party's poor show in the civic polls.-- C.V. Aravind, via www.indiatoday.in

Let the Son Rise ("The Prodigal Son", June 14)

It is not fair on the part of the Congress High Command to slam the brakes on Jaganmohan Reddy's consolation tour ("The Prodigal Son", June 14). When he toured west Godavari and Khammam districts, thousands of people turned up to hear him. He was stopped from touring further due to the Telangana threat. But there is no reason to stop him now. The Congress' state and central wings do not want Reddy to emerge as another leader in Andhra Pradesh.-- Kappagantu Murthy, Secunderabad

Tongue Tied ("Mister Mum", June 14)

Kaveree Bamzai's column on the prime minister was a refreshing piece of plain-speaking ("Mister Mum", June 14). She diagnosed our ailment correctly-"we have such low expectations." At the much-awaited press conference, the prime minister did not answer any of the questions with conviction or confidence. Some media reviews were kind, saying that he had the constraints of leading a coalition government. Coalitions are going to be the future norm. They cannot be an excuse for playing with the nation's future.-- Som Sharma, Gurgaon

Leadership Crisis ("Slippery Slope", June 7)

The RSS should have chosen a leader with national level experience to head the bjp ("Slippery Slope", June 7). Nitin Gadkari should have been given the responsibilities of vice-president and then general secretary before being crowned president. It is natural that the crown in question is too heavy for his head. However, it has been only six months and he has a long way to go. Let him come out of the Marathi shell and act as a national figure during the rest of his tenure and the BJP could rise again.-- R. Thirunarayanan, via www.indiatoday.in

State of Despair ("The Last Waltz", June 14)

Thanks to a fractured assembly election verdict, Jharkhand has to live with failed governments whose terms have been numbered ("The Last Waltz", June 14). The latest casualty is Shibu Soren who has often resorted to gimmicks to be at the helm of affairs in the state. The time has come to dump such opportunists who are doing more harm than good to the state by focusing only on personal gain.-- DBN Murthy, Bangalore

Weapons of Maoist Destruction ("Weapon of Last Resort", June 14)

It is high time we defined a clear-cut policy to fight against the Naxals ("Weapon of Last Resort", June 14). Army intervention may not be directly necessary, but it can provide infrastructural support to the Central paramilitary forces. More forces should be sent to the Naxal-affected areas and deployment should be done as per operational requirements, not according to the police.-- Risha Chaudhary, Lucknow

Whatever the Naxals' grouse against the system may be, destruction of public property and killing civilians cannot be tolerated. Considering the attitude of the governments, both at the Centre and in the affected states, the risk of Maoism spreading throughout India is substantial.-- M. Kumar, via www.indiatoday.in

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